Physical Modelling of Recrystallization and Grain Growth in Steels: Analysis of Free Parameters

Abstract

The mechanical properties of steels are strongly affected by grain size and chemical composition variations. Many industrial developments have been carried out both from the point of view of composition variation and grain size in order to exploit the effect of these variables to improve the mechanical proprieties of steels. It is also evident that recrystallization and grain growth are relevant to the mechanical properties of steels, thus suggesting the necessity of mathematical models able to predict the microstructural evolution after thermo-mechanical cycles. It is therefore of primary importance to study microstructural changes, such as grain size variations of steels during isothermal treatments through the application of a mathematical model, able in general to describe the primary recrystallization and grain growth in metals. This paper deals with the recrystallization and grain growth modelling of steels based on the statistical theory of grain growth originally developed by Lücke [1] and here integrated to take into account the effect of recrystallization and Zener drag effect. A general continuity equation is proposed describing in continuous way recrystallization and grain growth phenomena without taking into account textures effect. The effect of input parameters is analyzed.